North Carolina / Project NC
A summary-first review of 491 North Carolina local government units assessed under Session Law 2020-79 and cross-referenced to covered Munimetric service-market stress outcomes.
NC market stress context
Scored NC markets sized by population served. Color reflects stress band.
COVERAGE NOTE
453 of 491 assessed LGUs are currently matched to covered markets with active scores. Project NC MISI and the analytics below are calculated from this covered subset only.
Distressed designation follows NC Division of Water Infrastructure criteria: an annual SWIA score of 11 or higher on the 0-20 scale. The MISI score is a separate deterministic 0-100 overlay.
NC INTERPRETATION
North Carolina has 453 scored service markets in the Munimetric coverage set, covering roughly 7.4 million residents in total. At the latest reading, the state-level average lands at 24.1 out of 100, indicating early but meaningful signs of structural stress in aggregate. A relatively small share — roughly 5% — currently sit in elevated-stress bands.
Across state markets, Operational Stress stands out as the dominant contributor to headline stress (13.1 points average), with Capex Pressure a distant second at 6.6. That pattern suggests a particular kind of pressure — concentrated rather than broadly distributed.
2058 active signals are recorded across state markets. The most prevalent is Current Drought Severity, affecting 714 markets.
State-level average stress has been relatively steady between recent observation periods, suggesting the current picture reflects persistent conditions rather than a sudden shift.
This summary is based on structured, source-backed public data and is intended for research and monitoring only. It is not investment advice, a credit opinion, or municipal advisory guidance.
FAST SCAN ANALYTICS
Quadrant view comparing NC DWI SWIA scores (0–20) against MISI scores (0–100).
453 markets with both scores plotted. Dashed lines: SWIA distressed threshold (11), Munimetric mid-range (50).
Distribution of covered market scores with the Project NC MISI overlay marker.
Histogram-smoothed density over 5-point score bins.
Each point is a scored covered market; tooltip reveals market-level context.
414 covered markets plotted.
Rendered for 372 markets (82% of scored coverage).
People served by community water systems in North Carolina, colored by stress band.
~7.4M people served by 453 systems in North Carolina
453 scored systems · colored by stress band
Select a market to see its nearest peers by score similarity. Orbiting dots represent peer markets.
24 nearest peers by score distance. Distance from center = score difference. Dot size = population. Color = stress band.
SIGNAL FREQUENCY
| Signal | Severity | Markets affected | % of scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current Drought Severity | high | 714 | 158% |
| Climate Hazard Exposure | high | 644 | 142% |
| Compliance Escalation | high | 465 | 103% |
| Lead & Copper Rule Risk | high | 355 | 78% |
| Population Served Decline | high | 270 | 60% |
| PFAS Contamination Risk | high | 178 | 39% |
| High-AGI Out-Migration | high | 121 | 27% |
| Days Cash on Hand | high | 108 | 24% |
| Infrastructure Capital Gap | high | 95 | 21% |
| Monitoring / Reporting Failures | medium | 88 | 19% |
| Utility Data Staleness | high | 60 | 13% |
| Parent-Government Fiscal Stress | high | 59 | 13% |
| Rapid Score Deterioration | high | 18 | 4% |
| Housing Market Weakness | low | 5 | 1% |
PRIORITY VIEWS
| # | Market | County | Score | Band | Pop. | Signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lumberton | Robeson | 62.0 | High Stress | 24K | 9 |
| 2 | Wallace | Duplin/Pender | 52.0 | Fragile | 6K | 8 |
| 3 | Robeson County | Robeson | 52.0 | Fragile | 65K | 7 |
| 4 | Maxton | Robeson/Scotland | 52.0 | Fragile | 3K | 8 |
| 5 | Faison | Duplin | 50.0 | Fragile | 1K | 7 |
| 6 | Magnolia | Duplin | 48.0 | Fragile | 980 | 7 |
| 7 | Teachey | Duplin | 47.0 | Fragile | 663 | 8 |
| 8 | Red Springs | Robeson | 47.0 | Fragile | 4K | 8 |
| 9 | Anson County | Anson | 46.0 | Fragile | 14K | 8 |
| 10 | Fairmont | Robeson | 45.0 | Fragile | 3K | 7 |
DETAILED REGISTERS
| # | LGU | County | Type | Status | SWIA ’24 ▼ | SWIA ’23 | SWIA ’22 | Muni Score | Band | Signals | Fund Bal % | Days Cash | Cash & Inv. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fountain | Pitt | BOTH | Distressed | 15 | 9 | 9 | 25.0 | Watch | 5 | 223.7% | 261 | $2.3M |
| 2 | Rowland | Robeson | BOTH | Distressed | 15 | 7 | 17 | 43.0 | Fragile | 7 | -8.2% | 0 | $435K |
| 3 | Hookerton | Greene | BOTH | Distressed | 14 | 5 | 3 | 36.0 | Watch | 7 | 36.4% | 524 | $954K |
| 4 | Edenton | Chowan | BOTH | Distressed | 13 | 12 | 15 | 25.0 | Watch | 6 | 9.7% | 161 | $7.6M |
| 5 | Maysville | Jones | BOTH | Distressed | 13 | 6 | 12 | 17.0 | Stable | 4 | — | 337 | — |
| 6 | Everetts | Martin | BOTH | Distressed | 13 | 3 | 8 | 14.0 | Stable | 3 | — | 0 | — |
| 7 | Vance County | Vance | DW | Distressed | 13 | 8 | 6 | 19.0 | Stable | 5 | — | — | — |
| 8 | Roper | Washington | BOTH | — | 13 | 7 | 5 | 22.0 | Watch | 5 | 229.4% | 24 | $923K |
| 9 | Martin County | Martin | DW | Distressed | 12 | 11 | 12 | 18.0 | Stable | 3 | — | — | — |
| 10 | Bailey | Nash | BOTH | Distressed | 12 | 7 | 11 | 28.0 | Watch | 5 | 106.1% | 288 | $1.3M |
| 11 | Warrenton | Warren | BOTH | Distressed | 12 | 9 | 11 | 25.0 | Watch | 5 | 65.5% | 58 | $1.5M |
| 12 | Fremont | Wayne | BOTH | Distressed | 12 | 7 | 12 | 32.0 | Watch | 7 | 26.3% | 191 | $2.2M |
| 13 | Anson County | Anson | BOTH | Distressed | 11 | 2 | 5 | 46.0 | Fragile | 8 | — | — | — |
| 14 | Bath | Beaufort | BOTH | Distressed | 11 | 10 | 20 | 27.0 | Watch | 5 | 100.8% | 48 | $355K |
| 15 | Bladenboro | Bladen | BOTH | Distressed | 11 | 3 | 4 | 34.0 | Watch | 5 | 70.0% | 367 | $3.3M |
| 16 | Bridgeton | Craven | WW | Distressed | 11 | 4 | 3 | 12.0 | Stable | 2 | — | 0 | — |
| 17 | Love Valley | Iredell | WW | Distressed | 11 | 7 | 11 | 10.0 | Stable | 2 | 376.5% | 520 | $291K |
| 18 | Hamilton | Martin | BOTH | Distressed | 11 | 7 | 10 | 10.0 | Stable | 2 | — | 1045 | — |
| 19 | Mount Olive | Wayne/Duplin | BOTH | Distressed | 11 | 6 | 10 | 32.0 | Watch | 7 | 24.6% | 215 | $12.8M |
| 20 | Milton | Caswell | BOTH | Distressed | 10 | 12 | 9 | 15.0 | Stable | 3 | 96.1% | 32 | $186K |
| 21 | Andrews | Cherokee | BOTH | Distressed | 10 | 4 | 7 | 24.0 | Watch | 5 | 78.8% | 36 | $2.4M |
| 22 | Lake Waccamaw | Columbus | BOTH | — | 10 | 6 | 7 | 31.0 | Watch | 5 | 68.6% | 586 | $3.7M |
| 23 | Woodland | Northampton | BOTH | Distressed | 10 | 10 | 7 | 28.0 | Watch | 5 | 188.1% | 529 | $2.5M |
| 24 | Tryon | Polk | BOTH | Distressed | 10 | 1 | 6 | 30.0 | Watch | 6 | 93.7% | 82 | $3.1M |
| 25 | Liberty | Randolph | BOTH | Distressed | 10 | 13 | 12 | 24.0 | Watch | 5 | 2.8% | 148 | $1.4M |
| 26 | Walnut Cove | Stokes | BOTH | Distressed | 10 | 1 | 9 | 15.0 | Stable | 3 | 144.3% | 73 | $2.2M |
| 27 | Lilesville | Anson | BOTH | Distressed | 9 | 4 | 6 | 22.0 | Watch | 4 | — | 191 | — |
| 28 | Havelock | Craven | BOTH | — | 9 | 6 | 2 | 12.0 | Stable | 2 | 117.7% | 406 | $33.2M |
| 29 | Stedman | Cumberland | BOTH | Distressed | 9 | 1 | 2 | 30.0 | Watch | 6 | 79.7% | 163 | $1.8M |
| 30 | Scotland Neck | Halifax | BOTH | Distressed | 9 | 5 | 8 | 18.0 | Stable | 4 | — | 226 | — |
| 31 | Dunn | Harnett | BOTH | — | 9 | 6 | 8 | 35.0 | Watch | 5 | 32.8% | 193 | $11.6M |
| 32 | Fairmont | Robeson | BOTH | Distressed | 9 | 10 | 16 | 45.0 | Fragile | 7 | 33.4% | 37 | $4.6M |
| 33 | Proctorville | Robeson | WW | — | 9 | 2 | 5 | 26.0 | Watch | 4 | 162.3% | 272 | $395K |
| 34 | Red Springs | Robeson | BOTH | Distressed | 9 | 8 | 6 | 47.0 | Fragile | 8 | 25.2% | 0 | $6.1M |
| 35 | Ansonville | Anson | BOTH | — | 8 | 2 | 7 | 26.0 | Watch | 5 | 79.0% | 199 | $642K |
| 36 | Elk Park | Avery | BOTH | — | 8 | 5 | 8 | 22.0 | Watch | 5 | 215.1% | 200 | $1.2M |
| 37 | Lewiston-Woodville | Bertie | WW | — | 8 | 1 | 6 | 23.0 | Watch | 4 | — | 305 | — |
| 38 | Grover | Cleveland | BOTH | Distressed | 8 | 9 | 13 | 22.0 | Watch | 4 | 146.1% | 0 | $723K |
| 39 | Lawndale | Cleveland | BOTH | Distressed | 8 | 12 | 13 | 22.0 | Watch | 4 | 4.0% | 19 | $676K |
| 40 | Godwin | Cumberland | DW | Distressed | 8 | 6 | 10 | 25.0 | Watch | 5 | — | 480 | — |
| 41 | Teachey | Duplin | BOTH | — | 8 | 5 | 3 | 47.0 | Fragile | 8 | 361.2% | 358 | $1.6M |
| 42 | Belmont | Gaston | BOTH | Distressed | 8 | 6 | 6 | 34.0 | Watch | 7 | 96.7% | 79 | $31.3M |
| 43 | Robbinsville | Graham | BOTH | — | 8 | 2 | 5 | 21.0 | Watch | 4 | — | 183 | — |
| 44 | Hobgood | Halifax | BOTH | Distressed | 8 | 6 | 12 | 26.0 | Watch | 5 | 203.9% | 244 | $1.3M |
| 45 | Weldon | Halifax | BOTH | — | 8 | 7 | 3 | 27.0 | Watch | 6 | 73.5% | 375 | $5.6M |
| 46 | Trenton | Jones | BOTH | Distressed | 8 | 7 | 9 | 11.0 | Stable | 3 | 207.1% | 507 | $1.2M |
| 47 | Pink Hill | Lenoir | BOTH | Distressed | 8 | 2 | 4 | 31.0 | Watch | 6 | 100.3% | 272 | $1.7M |
| 48 | Williamston | Martin | BOTH | Distressed | 8 | 7 | 10 | 21.0 | Watch | 4 | 60.6% | 493 | $13.1M |
| 49 | Biscoe | Montgomery | BOTH | — | 8 | 6 | 5 | 18.0 | Stable | 5 | 99.5% | 183 | $3.6M |
| 50 | Star | Montgomery | BOTH | Distressed | 8 | 1 | 8 | 14.0 | Stable | 4 | — | 156 | — |
SWIA scores are from the NC Division of Water Infrastructure SL 2020-79 annual assessment (0–20 scale, ≥11 = distressed). MISI scores (0–100) are independently calculated where entity matching to EPA CWS records is available. Financial data from the NC Treasurer Financial Benchmarks & Audit report.
ENTITY NETWORK
METHODOLOGY
SL 2020-79 Assessments: Annual NC Division of Water Infrastructure risk scores on a 0-20 scale, with 11+ designated as distressed. Historical values shown include 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
MISI Scores: For matched EPA community water system records, Munimetric provides an independent 0-100 infrastructure stress overlay based on deterministic compliance, capital, revenue, rate, and governance factors.
Financial Benchmarks: Fund balance percentage, days cash on hand, and tax collection data sourced from North Carolina Treasurer benchmark and audit data.
